Hey guys this is Reuben with Competition Accessories welcome to our review of the Bell SOLFX transitions face shield now this is a photo-chromatic face shield. What does that mean, that's means it actually detects UV rays and it reacts to them and actually gets darker as it is exposed to sunlight, that is a great concept that's going to work whether its night time dark conditions all the way to a bright sunny day like we have here out here in South Carolina so were actually going to demo this for you well show you how well it works how quickly it changes . Your going to want to watch this video were going to throw this on the Bell Star that we have here but briefly this shield will work on just about any current full faced Bell with the exception of the Bell Arrow, so that means if you have a Vortex an RS1 or even the Revolver Modular helmet or the Bell Star The transitions SOLFX will work on that helmet that's also great news for you that think you are upgrading to the RS1 or the Star maybe down the road if you have a Vortex now you can look at the SOLFX shield and consider it because it will actually work with the Bell Star also so a really great thing that bell did there with allowing you to port your old shield over to your new helmet , that's definitely nice not trying to nickle and dime you on a shield every time you want to get a Bell helmet. So this is the SOLFX face shield it looks just like a normal clear face shield right now. Like i said it actually reacts to UV rays it will actually darken up to the point of a dark smoke visor and whats nice about it is it will actually stay anywhere in between it will either be fully dark black smoke or fully clear or a light smoke or any version in between, in fact when you have this on the helmet you cant really tell to be honest you cant really tell that its doing anything it just kind of stays perfect and that's a real testimate to how well it works its imperceivable when you have it on because it just kinda changes seamlessly as your riding and changes adapts to conditions so your eyes stay nice and comfortable throughout your ride so that's great news if your a commuter and your rides take you from day time conditions to night conditions you don't have to bring a second shield with you or if your on a long trip and your dealing with all different types of weather and riding at night and day this is going to work great anytime of the day or night so definitely really nice so throw it on the Bell Star here take it outside and show you how well it actually works. We'll show you how to change a face shield on a bell if your not familiar , its got the quick release system honestly one of the easiest systems on the market. Trigger on the side give it a pull and it pops right out , so it doesn't get much easier then that to change out face shields. We'll go ahead and throw the SOLFX shield on there just line up the tab at the top give it a press and it clicks you'll be ready to go and again the nice thing about this shield is you don't have to swap it out its just going to be the shield that's on your helmet so great great shield. Lets take it out side and see how long it takes from totally clear which is what we have right now to dark smoke. Alright so were going to go from totally clear to completely dark it should take about 30 sec or so , now you can probably see my face through the face shield and it will take about 30 seconds to get completely dark. So if you cant tell its darkening up to where my eyes are not straining at all just a few seconds from completely clear to dark smoke and then it will transition back when you go into lighter conditions or darker conditions now if you go under some trees or into a tunnel its going to be adjusting constantly and like i said it takes about 30 sec or so to go from clear to totally dark and looks great and looks like a dark smoke face shield so if you have a matte black helmet like this it looks really good. Alright so i just brought this thing in from outside and you can tell it has a nice dark tint to the visor now we just brought it in and set it on the table and its been out in the sun for about 5 minutes now so we had it really nice and dark were going to see how long it takes to actually lighten up you should start to be able to see the Bell logo though the top. One thing i will mention is this shield is treated to obviously to be UV protective so its not going to be letting UV in and hurting your eyes but it also has an anti scratch coating on it and their nutritive coating it does have the anti fog coating on the shield as well which works well with cold or wet weather conditions. You can see that going from the dark smoke all the way to the clear sitting here you might think "wow its taking a while " the only time that's really an issue is if you are riding from extremely bright conditions and you go right into total darkness of a tunnel and its not going to be able to keep up with that immediately , but you know if your typically riding with the normal dark smoke visor anyways you would have that same problem but worse this ones going to be lightening up as you ride through. Some times i've gone through tunnels Ive had to open my visor to be able to see well. This one is going to be lightening up as soon as you go through the tunnel and then obviously when you get to the other side it starts darkening again. Another thing that i have noticed while playing with this shield is it does seem that it darkens faster then it lightens going from indoors to outside you know about 30 seconds and then in about 15 or so seconds it has enough tint on it where its not super bright but obviously going from dark smoke to totally clear its going to take a little while. Keep in mind though if you are doing commuting or long distance type trip when your riding with this thing as the day progresses the suns going down there's less UV out there so its actually already going to be lightening up as the sun goes down and then its going to turn to totally clear once the sun goes down all the way so its more of a gradual thing again you typically don't notice the only time you'll run into "oh that's too dark " is when its a sudden transition from super bright to dark which like i said you wont be facing that anyway. Ill go ahead and take the shield off here so you can see how much tint is left on it you can see its pretty much all clear now , its kind of hard to tell against a black helmet here but totally clear again and ready for another day of riding again about 120 bucks jump on our website check out our current pricing and availability very big seller if your a Bell Helmet wearer the RS-1 the Vortex or the Star i definitely recommend this even though its over 100 dollars its well worth it.

Hey guys this is Reuben with Competition Accessories today I am going to talk to you about the Bell Vortex helmet. This helmet starts at about 179 dollars for the solids and graphics and they also make the Rolland Sands design graphics for 199. I think that you will find that these helmets give you a lot of bang for your buck. A lot of helmets in this price range don't come with all the features that the Vortex has, a lot of 3-400 dollar helmets don't come with all the features the Vortex has. We have been really impressed with the Bell Helmet line up and lets go ahead and dig into the Vortex and I will show you what it all has. On the outside of this helmet you will see that it has a really nice aerodynamic shape. This is designed for all types of riding, its not a super aggressive track helmet but it is Snell 2010 approved so if you are doing the occasional track day that's going to work. Bell designs these in house in California and they get to wind tunnel test them and they even have a hydro tunnel which is basically a water tunnel, where they test the aerodynamics of the helmet. The first thing you will notice about this helmet is you will notice it has a lot of vents which is not found on the helmets in this price range. You have two chimney vents on the top which are closeable it is going to direct air down on to the top of your head. You have a brow vent which is also closeable that's definitely something you don't see a lot of in this price range. You have a chin bar vent which is going to help keep your face shield defogged. At the back of the helmet you also have exhaust vents, two at the top and two at the base of the helmet. What those do as air flows over to the back of the helmet the area behind the helmet is going to suck the warm air right out the back of the helmet. One of our favorite things about the Bell helmet line up is their shield system, its definitely one of the easiest shields to swap out, its just basically two triggers on the side and you just push those and the shield comes right off. All the way to the Bell Star they use the same shield. Your getting the same shields that they used on their high end racing helmets. They also make a shield with transition technology. Which is basically when the shield adjusts with the UV rays so if you want to just have one shield that automatically goes from light to dark or clear to dark that is a really neat option as well. This helmet is poly-carbonate, if you look at the bottom of this helmet one thing that they have on this helmet that you don't see from a lot of manufacturers is this wind collar that goes around the base of the helmet. What that is going to do is heat unwanted wind from coming up inside the helmet that may cause a lot of wind noise. You have a chin curtain as well to keep air from coming underneath the helmet. The inside of this helmet is lined with a moisture wicking anti bacterial anti microbial liner. This will keep you a lot more comfortable if you are sweating and it also removable if you want to wash the helmet. We will go ahead an pull out these cheek pads and one thing you will notice about these cheek pads is they have this mesh material and this is for speakers. Bell has actually built little recess in the side of the helmet for speakers if you want to run a communication system. You can install a bluetooth headset you can install anything with speakers that will fit in the helmet. Another cool thing about the Bell helmets is the magnetic chin strap. This is called their magna fusion system. They have tried to make the lining with a lot of mesh material and air channels so you have good ventilation to keep you cool and comfortable on the inside of the helmet. If you look at the inside of the helmet you can see a lot of those channels actually for the ventilation. That is the overview of the Bell Vortex, it is a great helmet and you can go to compacc.com to check them out.

Information and Details about the Bell Vortex Helmet - Replacement Cheek Pads made by Bell

There are plenty of optional sizes of cheek pads for the Bell Vortex helmets. You just need to choose the correct shell size and then the size in MM of the thickness of the pads you want. They are super easy to replace and are washable when they get a little funky from sweat, etc.. The padding does break down, so we recommend replacing them every year or 2 depending on the amount of use your helmet gear.

Below are the stock sizes for the cheek pads in a Bell Vortex Helmet. So depending if you want a tighter fit or looser fit, choose either a thicker or thinner set from the drop down above.

As my Bell Vortex gets a lot of use I ride pretty much every day, it only took about 8 months for the fit to loosen up enough that the face-shield got pushed into my face at freeway speeds. New cheek pads solved this problem, and since they come in various sizes, I was able to get a set one size larger than stock for an even tighter fit. Great stuff. At 20 a set you can't beat it. Another 20 for a new top pad and I basically have a new helmet.

Below are more Bell Reviews from our online customers.

Hopefully they can help you find the right item and make the best buying decision.

solofx is science in action - ducatiriderMDRecommended by Reviewer: Yes

Pros: one shield change and done.

Cons: [None]

The fall and spring riding seasons are riddled with AM PM shield changes. For a small investment the solofx transition shield eliminates them all. ghe technology works flawlessly to simplify and increase the riding experience during dawn and dusk jaunts. More companies should learn from Bell in this category. The shield alone brought me over from a Shoei after more than 20 consecutive years in Shoei hats. No regrets after first 5000 miles and dozens of dawn and dusk rides.

considering that a full face helmet is a bit awkward in it's self, I love my Vortex. I bought one and after having it a few weeks. bought another in a different color. Good bargain price for a SNELL approved. I got mine for my motorcycle but needed the sanctioned safety approval for auto racing.

Pros: easy installation, does what it was designed to do, adjusts the tint quickly

Cons: [None]

My helmet has a built in flip down shield, which was just not dark enough in some situations. Like riding into the rising or setting sun. The SOLFX shield takes care of those situations and rarely makes the flip down shield necessary.

Cons: A little loud at illegal speeds, but I have nothing to compare it to.

The cost of this helmet was almost half of what everybody else is selling theirs for with the pretty colors and designs on them. Of course, I spent an afternoon trying on different helmets at different shops until I settled on this model and a specific size. Compacc was the only place I found a solid metallic silver Vortex in my size. I couldn't be happier with it.

Bought the RSI Airtrix helmet on Sale from CS and then popped for the Gold Iridium and Dark smoke.Both have Great optics and shield changes are stupid simple,ultra fast. The gold shield really reflects the bright sun and heat.

No need to carry multiple lenses, have a flip down shade or any other gimmick. Keep it polished from bugs and rain, works great. Starts to lose transition quality after 12-18 months of use. Still, best investment you can make for the Bell helmets.

Other than some payoff behind the scenes, there is no reason every manufacturer shouldn't have this option. Not having to concern yourself with getting caught out in the dark and carrying a spare shield, or plan around darkness, is so awesome. I wish this shield would get a little darker, but I'm nit-picking as I like a very dark shield. The tint falls between most companies light and dark, so it is very serviceable. Although pretty expensive - it's worth it.

I bought this helmet to replace my wife's starter helmet. It was a great affordable upgrade that provides the safety benefits we were looking for. I was out to get her a Shoei RF 1100 just like mine, but found this one instead. Nice helmet, I'd buy it again

I bought this for a track day. I neded a full face helmet for Cal. Superbike school, and didnt plan on using it much. But with its Snell rating and good reviews, thought id try it. Worked great, visor was clear and stayed shut at 140 speeds, with ear pluugs it didnt sound any louder than any other lid. Comfortable, my head is a 22 14, right between a SM..the Medium was a perfect fit. The airflow was good, lots of vents that worked in hot southern weather. it comes with a hetmet bag, nose and chin valance. Lot of helmet for the money. It even looks pretty good. You cant tell its a low end lid unless you look real close..I have had a bunch of 3-400 lids, and other than finish, is just as nice and has all the same features of higher ones.. hope this helps

great price and very good quality, very easy to change on the vortex helmet, it's an inexpensive way to utilize your favorite helmet and switch from a street helmet to a snowmobile helmet without the cost of another helmet, love it

Pros: Nice, safe and snug fit, great looks, better air flow than other helmets I've had, light, smooth aerodynamics and great value for such a low price.

Cons: None.

Great value for the price. This is a very fine, well fitting helmet. I always get a large and have worn several brands HJC, KBC, Shoei X11, Gmax and Suomy to name a few.I've read some reviews about this helmet being loudnoisy, etc. I always wear earplugs from wal-mart, the spongy soft ones you roll up because I learned early, if you don't wear plugs that I will get an ear infection. This helmet has about the same sound or noise as any other helmet I've worn. I ride about 10,000year on basically crotch rocket type bikes with little or no screenshield so my head gets lots of forced air. I'm also 6'2 and 205lbs and sit up high enough to get my share of wind. I also go on a 4,000 to 6,000 mile trip each summer either to or over the rockies from east central Illinois. I feel all helmets are noisy if you don't wear earplugs. Jeff

I love having the auto tinting feature. No messing around with shields and you get as much tint as needed for what ever light condition. The only thing I wish could be changed was it getting a little darker. During sunrise and sunset the direct sun light is pretty bright. Any other time of the day it is fantastic. The way I counter that is just to keep my head tipped down a little bit. Great product.

When I measured my head I was kind of between a medium and large size. I went with the large and glad I did. It fit pretty snug when I first got it. After a short time the cheek pads relaxed a bit and the helmet fits comfortably snug. I did start to notice more wind noise after though. The chin strap slack uses a magnet instead of a snap. My other riding friend is jealous of that.

I purchase a silver model on sale. The fit was perfect but you should use the chart from the Bell site for this helmet vs. the one on this site. The sizing is different. The quality is much better than expected and the only negative is the clip on the provided helmet bag broke the first time used which is not a big deal. The best value on a quality Snell 2010 helmet.

One of the reasons I purchased the Bell RS1 was for the capability of upgrading to the SOLFX shield. I could not be happier. Shades your face when needed, no distortion, hasn't scratched with normal use and works just like the video says. The only con And this is a stretch being the transition. If you are going in and out of tunnels or something similar. It's not going to keep up, no big deal on my part. All of this said, I still find myself wearing my sunglasses with it sometimes. It's summer and it's hot so I frequently pop up the shield while driving to cool off.I have had no issue with wearing sun glasses and the SOLFX at the same time. I would buy again and would recommend it to anyone. Very happy

I am a rider coming off a long hiatus and wish they had these when I started riding. They do exactly what they're supposed to do. I can see where riding into the sun, you might need additional protection because this is not a super dark shield, but for day to day riding around, this is exceptional.

As my Bell Vortex gets a lot of use I ride pretty much every day, it only took about 8 months for the fit to loosen up enough that the face-shield got pushed into my face at freeway speeds. New cheek pads solved this problem. Great stuff. At 20 a set you can't beat it. Another 20 for a new top pad and I basically have a new helmet for 40 bucks.

This shield works as well as prescription eyeglasses, transition lenses. It changes fast and is uniform throughout. Is completely clear at night and somehow, seems better than a regular clear shield at night. I have used it alot at night. It is also very fog resistant. With the application of Scotts anti fog cleaner, it just will not fog at all. It is expensive, but you do get what you pay for in this shield.

Yes, this item is expensive but it is well worth it. I had a dark smoke shield and when the sun went down, forget it, could hardly see the cars headlights. But during the day in Florida, you can't go with a clear shield, just too sunny. This shield quickly tints in the sunlight. It seems that it is actually easier to see through then my other Shoei shields I have. There is no distortion. I would highly recommend having one of these.

All Face Shields Should be Transitions - VJSTXRecommended by Reviewer: Yes

Pros: No need to carry a clear sheild for night riding.

Cons: pricey, but worth every penny.

This is the greatest face shield ever. I bought this one for my wife because I like mine so much. All face shields should be transitions. Carrying extra shields takes up valuable storage space on the bike and they tend to get scratched up no matter how careful you are. With the self-tinting shield, one doesn't have to stop at dusk to change out shields. Combined with the Bell Revolver, a great ride

I have a Bell Star Matte Black helmet and I just purchased the dark smoke screen. It looks so awesome I can't even tell you. Rode it to work this morning and it was a little overcast with some slight sunlight here and there and it wasn't too dark at all. It does a nice job of shading the sun, but not so much that you can't see. Plus you look super bad a. It's a great visor clicks in easy and I carry my clear visor with me in the OGIO tail bag that I just bought from Compacc just in case it gets too dark out.

I bought one of these for my now discontinued Spirit helmet.Its great.Plenty dark out in the sun. I wear glasses so I dont have to mess with my clipons as much.In cold weather it does'nt get as dark but I think it was well worth the price. I wish they were available for every helmet.

I ordered this shield with my Bell Vortex Helmet. It works great. I used to have 2 shields with my HJC and had to stop and change it when it got dark. Now the shield changes constantly and I can always see... Plus it gets surprisingly dark when the sun is really bright... I am not sure how I lived without it before now...

It is Currently 34 degrees , I arrived over an hour ago so it was below freezing coming in. 2112015I have had the helmet a few days now. First ride I noticed the crown of the helmet is not as plush as Shoei , Arai, Suomy. I keep my head shaved all the time, so this may not be a factor for some people. The fit is dead on in my opinion. tight in all the right places, lighter than my last shoei tzr. A little more wind noise, about equal to my last arai Q so bearable by any standard. The shield has yet to fog AT ALL. I put a light smoke on with no chemical. I have put small vent holes in every helmet visor up to now, to prevent fogging. Great helmet for the asking price, colors and finish equal to any. Plenty of vents, surpass most in features. Great helmet all around.

Recently purchased a bell rs1. The option of this shield was a big reason I decided to try a bell. Usually do a few multiday trips a year and packing a second shield is always a bother. Problem solved with the transitions shield Shield performed well over a recent 4 day1300 mile trip. Cold, rain, hot, daytime, nighttime - shield adjusted accordingly. Thankful to have it

I picked up the Bell Vortex expecting decent quality and features for a lower midrange helmet and was not disappointed. The only thing I wish I could change is the amount of wind noise that penetrates the helmet, but I found that a cheap pair of earplugs solves the problem

I picked this up to give me a full face option for my Goldwing. For me, Bell has always been synonomous with the quality helmets. For the price this helmet is being offered at on closeout, I couldn't go wrong. Ventilation is superb, fit and finish are amazing and comfort is there in buckets once the cheek pads get broken in. I did have to ding it one star for the noise. Just wear earplugs, as you should be anyway, the the noise will become a non-issue.

For the price, the Bell Vortex is a steal. All the features included in this mid-range helmet make it a great choice for anyone who doesn't want to spend the money to move up to an aria or a shoei. My only big complaint is the noise level. There are two tiny exhaust ports low on the back of the helmet that create an enormous amount of wind noise inside the helmet. Throw in some earplugs and you have a great helmet at an amazing price.

Cons: The right side hinge plate that holds the face shield in place broke the first time I removed the shield

All in all I am pleased with this helmet. Could not believe the price for such a quality piece of equipment. Because it was silver for some reason it was 100.00 less than the other Vortex helmets. I do have one complaint however in that the brow vent allows so much air in that after about an hour my forehead starts to hurt really bad. Tried closing all of the vents but, air still gets in. I was able to reduce this quite a bit by removing the top liner and plugging the holes with foam insulation and then reinstalling the liner. Never did I ever think I would complain about a helmet that flows to much air. Now I love this helmet.

My last two helmets have been Arai and I was really happy with them. I needed a new helmet but wanted to save some money so I decided to give Bell a try. I am pretty impressed. The price is great and the quality is very good. The helmet is very comfortable and has good ventilation. My only complaint is the same as other reviewers. It is loud, especially at highway speeds. But I am happy with the purchase.

Great deal on a very good helmet - Scrappy McStuffins The Wonder CatCARecommended by Reviewer: Yes

Pros: Value, Visor RemovalReplacement, Fit

Cons: Noise

I bought this as a replacement for my old Vortex that was getting pretty worn out. This one was on clearance, so I picked it up when I saw the deal they had. I think it is easily worth the full price, but at the clearance price, it was a no-brainer.Before the prior Vortex, I wore an Arai Profile, which is significantly more expensive, but not so much better than the Vortex to justify the price difference.I find the Vortex is very comfortable, Keep in mind that the padding will break in quite a bit, so make sure you get a tight fit. It will feel too tight for the first month, but that is what you want.As far as noise...it is noisier than the Arai Profile I wore, but with earplugs which you should be wearing anyway, the noise is not bothersome at all to me. I read some of the recommendations on blocking the vents behind the ear and tried that with my new Vortex. Not sure if it made that big of a difference.Also, I use a Sena SMH-10 and it fits just fine on this helmet using the clamp.

I don't think it gets dark enough. I had a dark smoke shield on my last helmet and in full sunlight this shield doesn't get as dark.If you are riding through variable light beforeafter sunrisesunset then it's definitely worth it. And overall I'm still happy I got it. The fully dark mode is fine, it's just that in Texas I ride in full sun most of the time, so I'd like it to be a little darker.

I'm liking my Vortex. It flows a lot more air than my old Scorpion. I do notice more noise, and may have to start wearing ear plugs. The size runs true to my hat size, and it fits well and is very comfortable.

Transition shield for the Bell helmet - Day RiderCTRecommended by Reviewer: Yes

Pros: Outstanding optical clarity. Excellent transition from no tint to very dark tint in the sun..

Cons: No UV protection like other shields.

This product does the job as advertised.. But what I did not know is that the shield has no UV protection.. I had my personal glasses on and with the shield closed my glasses went dark too. This does not happen with my other shields, which is one of the reasons I got a transition shield. I will have to use sun screen if I am going to be out all day..

I've had some time with my Vortex, so wanted to give a quick review. It's a good fitting and good looking helmet, with all safety rating and features you would want. The shield system is excellent, and works perfect. However the negatives are a bit annoying. I'm guessing Bell is only using a few shell sizes, because my medium is huge, barely fits in my bikes cases, not a deal breaker, but it's big. My only other complaint is it's a very noisy helmet, vents open or not. My wife has a similar HJC that doesn't transfer nearly as much wind noise. I think I'll try and save for a Shoei next, the wind noise is loud even with ear plugs.

Nice shield but some boob decided to attach an adhesive backed Transitions sticker to the front of it. Why couldn't. they use a static vinyl sticker, a molded in brand, or at least put it someplace outside of the clearview area DaftNot acceptable for a 120 face shield.

My shield does not work as advertised. Only a very light smoke tint at best even in midday sun. Also, anit-fog feature does not work either. If bright sunlight makes you squint, you need a real tinted shield or wear sunglasses with this one. And at the price of this shield, you can buy 2 or 3 other shields. Also, had to use plastic polish to remove adhesive from label that was attached to shield. Complete waste of money, in my opinion.

I was excited about this product and ordered it for use here in Florida. It worked wellat first but after the first year, it became less effective in darkening. Now, 3 years later, it does not darken at all.

Competition Accessories is a company of core motorcycle and ATV enthusiasts who are dedicated to bringing the best possible shopping experience to every rider that visits our stores. After all, We've been shipping motorcyclists their motorcycle helmets, motorcycle jackets, gloves, boots and other motorcycle accessories for over 50 years. You don't hang around that long in any business without taking care of your customers and changing with the times. So trust that we will deliver and if we screw up, we will make it right... We promise!